BTN: Harvest Evolved
by dry-ice-Daishi
Summary: Something of a sickness is planting in mineral town. Is it Plague? Or something more sinister? Also, what has happened at the Supermarket? All these questions and more answered this chaper! (sorta)
1. Part One

Disclaimer: Fuck it. The disclaimer is so gay that I will make it as short as possible. In a nutshell, Harvest Moon belongs to Natsume, and AirForce Delta Storm belongs to Konami. Enjoy the lame-titled story.

**Chapter One: Arrival**

It was on a rainy day in spring that Jack arrived on the Halo Farm. As the car drove up to the driveway, Jack looked around at the farm that he would make his home and was shocked. The entire farm looked like a war had been fought on it! Which was exactly what was happening in the outside world. You see, the island that Mineral Town was on belonged to the United States (I don't think it actually does, but who cares), who was locked in World War III (hell, we all knew it would come sometime! So why not in a fanfic?). As for the farm, there were rocks, boulders, weeds, stumps, and sticks everywhere!

Just then, a short, pudgy man wearing a red suit came up to the farm.

"Jack? Jack!? Where are you?" called the man.

"I'm right here" Jack called from his Camaro, which he was just getting out of. "Who are you?"

"Greetings, Jack. I am the Mayor of Mineral Town. Call me Mayor Thomas. I am here to tell you about our policy with farmers here. Don't feel segregated; it applied to your grandfather as well. Anyways, our town's Council has decided to give you three years to get this farm prosperous again. I trust that is a good amount of time?" He looked at the pit of hell that represented the farm.

"Yeah, I guess so," Jack said.

The Mayor then spoke "You also must get along with the villagers, or you will have to leave."

"I'm naturally a befriendable person, so that shouldn't be a problem."

"Glad to hear it. Say, would you like a tour of the town?" said the Mayor.

"Sure," was all that Jack said.

"Good. Let's get going," said the Mayor.

And so the Mayor began his tour of Mineral Town…

Chapter Two: The Tour 

The Mayor began his tour by taking the southern exit beyond the apple treeto the intersection in the path.

"The top path takes you to the hot spring. Go there to take a bath & relieve tiredness.

"The left path takes you to Mother's Hill. There's a lot of good stuff to harvest there in Fall. I have also heard that there is a tree that will give you a Power Berry…

"The bottom path takes you to Gotz the woodcutter's house. Ask him for more information on Mother's Hill. We will go down that path to get to the Poultry Farm," said the Mayor.

They went down the path, past Gotz's house, and to the poultry farm, just to see two young adults fighting.

"Oh, I hate you Rick!" exclaimed a girl with pink hair. She looked alright to Jack.

"Popuri, don't be so childish!" yelled a boy with red hair, who Jack presumed to be Rick.

"Let's leave them alone for now," said the Mayor. And with that, they left the scene. Next, they wet to Yodel Ranch, only to find it closed. The Mayor briefly explaned its function and went on to Rose Square.

"This is where we hold most of our festivals. Town meetings also occur here. Oh, and there will be a festival on the 8th, the Spring Goddess Festival. Details will be sent to you by mail. Are you hungry, by any chance?" said the Mayor.

For once, Jack actually had a chance to speak, and he took advantage of it. "Come to think of it, I'm famished!" he said with enthusiasm.

"Splendid! There is an inn nearby, why don't you get something to eat? I'll wait out here."

And so Jack went into the Inn. He sat at a table and picked up a menu. A red haired girl walked over to him.

"Hi! My name's Ann, could I take your order?"she said.

"Yeah, I'd like the Set Meal please," Jack said, thinking about how kind Ann was to him.

"Okay, just a minute while we make your meal!" Ann said.

A couple of seconds after she left, a man behind the counter with red hair like Ann's called Jack over. 

"Say, buddy, what do you think of that girl over there? She's my daughter," said the man behind the counter.

"She's cute," Jack said with a smirk.

"I'm glad you think so. Oh, and the set meal that you ordered is ready," said the man 

"What are you guys talking about?" said Ann, who had just brought the meal.

"Nothing that concerns you, Ann," said the man.

"DAD, WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS PRYING INTO MY LOVE LIFE?!" Ann shouted, quite angrily. Then she left.

"Pretty perceptive, if you ask me," said Jack.

"Yeah, but that also means that I can't find her a date without her knowing," the man said.

"You really shouldn't try to choose her life for her," Jack said with a frown.

The man stood behind the counter, shocked that someone would stand up to him for Ann. He decided to say something to break the ice.

"My name is Doug, what's yours?"    

"Jack," Jack replied.

"A pleasure, Jack. I hope you will come back again to eat. Oh, and the Inn becomes a bar at 6:00 PM. If you want a drink, come around then."

Jack then walked out of the Inn, leaving a still shocked Doug. _He'll make a good husband for Ann, I know it,_ He thought. _I might just set them up._

As for Jack, it was already 12:00, and the mayor was falling asleep outside, still waiting. When he saw Jack walking up, he awoke from his fatigue-induced stupor.

"Huh… Oh, hello Jack. Ready to go to the clinic?  I want you to meet the Doctor and Elli," said the Mayor.

Eagerly, Jack said, "Ready to rock n' roll!"

When they walked into the Clinic,  they saw a girl laying on a cot. Another girl was at the reception desk.

"Hi, Mayor! Who's that you have with you?" asked the girl at the desk.

"This is Jack. He's new to town, and he is taking over the Halo farm. Jack, this is Elli."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jack," said Elli.

"Same here."

"Oh, look at that cut on your arm! Does it hurt? Do you need a Band-Aid?"

"Sure, I guess so," Jack said.

Elli gave him a bandage, then returned to work. Just then the Doctor spoke up.

"Alright, Mary. It looks like you have the flu. You'll need to stay home for a week to recuperate. After that, you can start going about your normal doings," the doctor said.

"Oh-oh-okay," Mary said.

"Oh! I must be going. I have a meeting to attend to at the Square. Bye Jack! Check out the Supermarket nextdoor!" And with that the Mayor was gone.

Shrugging, Jack walked next door to the supermarket. He went inside and saw a center table covered in seed bags of various kinds, a left table with cooking supplies, and a right table with farming utensils. He saw a man behind the counter with black hair who looked like he had his entrails ripped out by a gravedigger. Jack went over to talk to him and the man said something like 'owww, my stomach hurts!', but it was barely audible. Right when Jack was about to go to the seed section, a man in a purple suit that had silver streaks in his black hair walked in, picked up some Curry Powder, then told the man behind the counter something.

"Put this on my tab, okay Jeff?"

Jeff then said "Uhh… sure, whatever… tab… right." He didn't seem like he could stand up for himself.

Jack spoke up "You really should pay for that.," he said, rather coldly.

"Heh heh, that's alright. No harm's being done." The man said.

Right when the man in purple was about to leave, a pretty girl wearing a purple vest over a white shirt who had light brown hair with two long blonde bangs sprouting out from each side of the front of her head spoke:

"Duke! You know you have to pay for everything that you buy! No exeptions! And tell the other villagers to stop taking advantage of Dad!" She, in contrast to her father, could stick up for herself and could also make Duke quiver in his shoes.

Still shaking, Duke said "Of course, Miss Karen. It won't happen again." And with that, Duke left the Supermarket.

"Thanks for your help, um, uh…" Karen started.

"My name's Jack. I'm new here."

"Oh, you're the guy taking over the Halo Farm, aren't you?" she inquired.

"Yeah, I was going on a tour with the Mayor until he had to leave for a meeting. I'm still not done yet, though," he said.

"I have to repay you somehow… I know! How about I finish the tour with you?" Karen asked. Her sparkling emerald eyes, along with the seductive smile on her face, made Jack sweat and he could feel himself blush. To prove it, Karen started to giggle and blush as well.

All that Jack could say was a "sure". And so begins the last leg of the tour.


	2. Part Two

This is the second part to my story. It starts to fit the title more. It starts where the first part left off.

Chapter Three: One Finished Tour, A Lot of Unpacking to Go 

Karen took Jack's hand and ran through the rest of town, showing him the overlooked parts that the Mayor forgot to tell Jack about…

"That's the Blacksmith. Go there to get your tools upgraded. You can ask him about prices and stuff," Karen told Jack.

"I have a feeling I'll be going there often. What's next?" he inquired.

"My favorite place, the Winery!" Karen said with excitement.

"Why is that your favorite place?"

"As you should know, my favorite gift in the world is wine!" Karen pointed out.

That last comment got Jack thinking. He thought that Karen might just be his first friend in this town. He made it a point to get a bottle of wine tomorrow to give to her. After she showed him the Winery and introduced him to Duke and Manna, they arrived at his farm. That's when he remembered the wine in his fridge.

"Karen, are you hungry?"

"Actually, I am. Why?"

Jack paced around while saying "I was wondering if you um, uh, would like to, uh, have dinner with me?" he stammered, quite embarrassed that he was asking a beautiful girl to have dinner with him, especially on his first day! "I have some apples, eggs, and wine in the fridge!"

The wine part, combined with the cute boy (I'm a guy, I don't think Jack is cute. So don't think I'm gay!) Karen thought Jack was, made her practically yell "Really? Sure!"

Relieved, Jack said "Great. Let me just get some stuff out of my car…"

"You have a car? Can I see it?" Karen interrupted.

"Yeah, here it is." Jack showed Karen the Camaro. She was thoroughly amazed, never having seen a car before.

"Wow, it's amazing! Can we take a ride in it later?"

"Sure, after dinner!" was Jack's response.

And so they had dinner. It was scrambled eggs with sliced apples & wine.At the table, they talked about stuff, like the Spring Goddess Festival for instance.

"Jack, did you know that the Spring Goddess Festival is tomorrow?" Karen said.

"Yes."

"Are you Escorting anyone?"

"Doing what?"

"You have to escort one of the five girls in the village to the Festival, if you want them to like you."

"In that case, I don't have a 'date', if you would call it that."

"I'm one of the girls, you know," Karen said with a blush.

Jack knew what she was getting at, and that she was being shy about it.

"I noticed," he said with an all-knowing smile.

"If you want me to escort you, then I'd have to say yes," he said.

"Really? Awesome! I'll meet you on your farm tomorrow morning," Karen said

Once they were finished, they took a ride in Jack's car.

"If there are roads, then how come there are no cars?" Jack asked.

"They're gonna build a car dealership soon. The Council had to make roads to be ready for it," Karen said.

"I also heard that they are going to build an Air Force base, which I guess is a place for combat airplanes," Karen paused before saying "But I don't know why."

"I bet it's because of the war going on in the US," Jack said.

"I heard about that on TV," said Karen.

Jack was surprised that news of the war had reached a obscure region like Mineral Town. Even though it was US territory, he was still shocked.

Once Jack got back to the driveway, Karen said she had to go home. Then, without thinking, she gave him a kiss on the cheek then walked off. Jack just stood there, holding the spot where the most beautiful girl he had ever met had just kissed him. His heart felt like it was made of fire.

"Could this be…love?" he asked himself.

He shrugged off the thought and continued unpacking. He brought out his last item, an M-90 8 gauge magnum Shotgun, his favorite and most prized possession. Then, when he was about ot close the trunk, he saw a glimmer of silver metal. He picked up the item and revealed a 14.5mm S2 AM Tactical Arms Sniper Rifle.

"I wonder where that Tac Rifle came from? Oh well," Jack said, exhausted. He went inside and wrote in his diary, then drifted off to dreamland…

Chapter Four: The Dream 

_It was on spring first that they came. They were tall men who wore black robes with hoods. People called them the Black Robe Organization. The ones that came were officers, signified by the black, gold, and silver falcon emblem on their heads. There were three of them. Each carried a 6- gauge shotgun and a 9mm sidearm, along with a combat knife. Jack was at his gandfather's farm at the time, frollocking in the fields. Then, the officers came to the farm and shot half of the animals with their shotguns, and cut down the crops with their knives. Grandpa hid Jack in the shed while he when after the Robes. Before he could reach them, they shot Jack's grandma in the head with their shotguns. The sound of Grandma screaming in pain as she drew her last breath haunted Jack for the days to come. One of them dropped a Tac Rifle, which Grandpa quickly picked up. He was too weak from his wife's death to shoot, though. And although they left the following day, their intentions were not quite clear…………………………_

Jack screamed as he woke up from his terrifying dream. He was sweating hard, and his sheets were half on, half off his bed. He decided it was time to start preparing for the inevitable, the return of the Black Robe Organization. He took his Tac Rifle and put it in his rucksack. He then fastened his Shotgun to his right leg on the holster attached there. He filled his rucksack with cartridges and shells. He would avenge his grandparents, no matter what the cost. Even if it was the last thing he did.

Sorry for the cliffhanger and the short chapter! I shall continue in the next part, starting with Chapter Five: A Meeting of The Town Council. Oh, and I would like to have some names for the Black Robe Officers, if you can come up with anyJ


	3. Part Three

Welcome to the continuation of Part Two. Since the reviewers wanted more, I give more. It starts with Jack arming himself for conflict.

Chapter Five: A Meeting of Town Council 

When Jack was finished with arming himself, he decided to go to the Mayor's house and tell him about the dream. As he was passing the Poultry Farm, he heard familiar voices entangled in an unfamiliar combination.

"Rick, why do you have to think that you can tell Popuri who she can like?" Jack recognized this voice as Karen's.

"Not that it's really your concern, but that Kai is a playboy and a bastard, to say the least! Why, I bet that he has several other girlfriends back in Miami. Again, it's not really your concern" Rick said.

"None of my concern? NONE OF MY CONCERN!!!? POPURI IS MY FRIEND YOU, YOU, YOU CAD!!!" Karen exclaimed with savage fury that Jack had not anticipated coming from her. 

"Oh, so now he's the good guy and I'm the cad, huh?"

"THAT'S RIGHT!!! FORGET THAT I WAS EVER YOUR FRIEND!!!" Karen was obviously pissed to the extent of yelling. She then stormed off, not even noticing Jack. Meanwhile, Jack thought that he had better wait for her to cool down before talking to her. He continued on his original mission to the Mayor's house. As he approached the house that was the Mayor's residence, he saw a little kid on the ground crying.

"What's wrong, little guy?" Jack said with a concerned expression on his face.

"I slipped on a stick and fell on my knee!" said the kid

"Well here, I have a Band-Aid. Put it on the cut." Which is exactly what the kid did.

After the kid was done putting on the bandage, Elli walked by.

"Stu! Oh my god, what happened?" she said.

"I fell on my knee and cut it. But theis nice guy gave me a Band-Aid!"

"Jack? Why didn't you use that bandage that I gave you?"

"Stu here needed it more than I did." Jack then left the scene. He went into the Mayor's house and told him of the dream. The Mayor relayed to him the events that happened then. Jack listened attentively to the Mayor's words, taking them in and making mental notes. Jack left and went to the supermarket to pick up Karen for the Festival, then went to the Square.

When they got there, everyone else was waiting for them. Karen hastily rushed to her position in between Popuri and Elli and began to dance…

Meanwhile, the Mayor was busy calling a council meeting. Doug, Saibara, Jeff, and Zach all gathered in the square. The party was arguing amongst themselves over what the meeting was about. Then the Mayor called them to order.

"Alright, people. Jack just told me that he had a premonition of a future attack by the Black Robe Organization," at the mention of the BRO the Council's calm went up in a puff of smoke as an uproar tore through their ranks. They quickly calmed down and let the Mayor finish, "We all know what happened twelve years ago. We tried to put it all behind us but now the problem has returned. I have already called the President of the USA to immediately begin the construction of the army base on the western flank of the island. We are also getting some aircraft to go with it. The main reason I called you here is to tell you that all of the men in the village will be armed and defending Mineral Town. You will all need weapons to combat the BRO, but I think that we can supply that. You must all go to a special training course on the 12th at the Army training center in Florida. The only ones exempt from this training are Sabiara and Jack. The only reason Jack is not required to attend is because he was an experienced Rifle Team member of his high school. Saibara, you are too old. I want you to make weapons at your shop for our men to fight with. You all must report at the Dock at 4:00 sharp or early on the 12th. I want you all to say goodbye to your loved ones, for you may never see them again. You are free to go."

The crowd departed with mixed feelings about the training camp. Some, like Zach, were egging for a good fight to teach those sorry fools who was boss. Others, like Jeff, had families to worry about. Doug was Jeff's partner in this belief.

"What will Ann do without me or Cliff around to watch over her?"

Jeff let out a soft chuckle, "I think Ann can defend herself. But I'm worried about Karen and Sasha. After all, Sasha's parents were among the souls mentioned in the obituaries of the mail from two days after they left. Maybe they will try to finish the job," the thought of his wife and daughter getting attacked spurred him into the same mood as Saibara and Zach, "But not if I can help it!"

"That's the spirit, Jeff!" Zach yelled.

"For the innocents who died on the day of the Black Robe!"' Saibara yelled.

They all went home and told the people who were to report for duty on the 12th the Mayor's instructions. Zach had to call Kai, since he was out of town for the season.

"Well, I guess that I had better call Kai and tell him the bad news." Zach told himself.

_Ring…………Ring…………Ring…………_ "Hello?"

"Kai, this is Zach. I have urgent news. The Mayor has ordered a special training session at the Florida Army Academy, beginning on the 13th. We have to leave here on the 12th. Suggest you come here on the 11th 'cause you are one of the trainees being sent to the Academy. Don't worry about shelter, you can stay at my place."

"I'll leave tomorrow. Why are we doing this?" Kai inquired.

Zach paused for a minute before coldly saying, "The Black Robe Organization." On the other line, Kai shuddered at the name.

"I'll be there. Bye." Kai then hung up the phone. He began to ponder who, what, where, and why. His mind raced with memories. Karen's grandma getting hung… Doug's wife getting her jugular split… Jack's grandma getting shot. He wanted to cry, the BRO was who had pillaged his home and murdered his resident family. And now they were returning to finish the job. He held back the tears and went to sleep.

Chapter Six: The Festival; Jack's Surprise 

While the council was busy discussing the issues at hand, Jack was watching the girls dance at the Spring Goddess Festival, particularly Karen. While everyone was oohing and ahhing, Jack was paying his undivided attention to Karen's seemingly flawless dancing.

"_She's incredible. I've never seen anyone who can dance anywhere near as good as her_," he silently complimented her.

When the dance was over, Karen asked Jack if he would like to go to the bar with him for a drink. Naturally, Jack agreed.

They walked into the inn and ordered a couple of wine coolers. They then began to talk about things, like Karen's performance at the festival.

"Karen, you were positively awesome. I've never seen anyone dance as good as you just did."

"I can show you tomorrow, if you want me to," Karen responded.

"That would be great. Come to my farm at nine?"

"Sure.'

They had both just finished their wine and were about to leave when Cliff came in.

"Jack! I need to talk to you!" he shouted spastically.

"Alright Cliff, hold your pants on. Talk to you later Karen." Karen nodded and walked out the door. Cliff then pulled Jack into his room at the inn.

"Saibara told me to tell you that the Mayor is sending all of the men in the village to the Florida Army Academy for training to fight off the Black Robe Organization!" at the mentioning of the BRO, Jack got excited, saying "Let me at 'em! I'll make them pay!" Cliff was surprised at Jack's enthusiasm, but showed no sign of his surprise. 

"Jack, if you will remember, this is the most aggressive terrorist organization in the world,"

"I know, but I want to avenge my grandparents' grievances by destroying the Black Robe Organization."

"Do what you think is best for you, Jack," Cliff drowsily said.

They said their goodbyes and went to bed.

Jack said to himself before going to bed, "Karen looked beautiful, of course…" then drifted off to a dark, dreamless sleep.

Again, sorry for the short part! I managed to get around the naming of the Black Robe Officers this time, but I don't think I'll be so lucky in the Fourth Part! I need some name suggestions to make a good fourth part! I positively **_must_** have names for the first chapter of the Fourth Part will be about a conference of the Black Robe Organization. Please, please, **_please_** give me suggestions for names! If you want you can give me some suggestions for the part's plot, for I am not a very good writer L. So help if you can!


	4. Part Four

I am so sorry for the sort of boring third part. This one should be more interesting. It is about when Jack prepares to go to the Academy. By the way, the BRO it similar to the Clans in Battletech (if you don't know what it is, well that's just too bad 'cause I'm not telling you right now. If you want to know about it then send me an email). I can now continue the story thanks to some recently received names.

I also want to give full credit to Majin Dark Vegeta for the names of the BRO officers.

**Chapter Seven: Introduction to The Black Robe Organization**

In Tallahassee, FL, the Black Robe Organization was being called to order in their HQ stronghold, nicknamed Dark Fortress. As their leader slammed the gavel down on the podium, the group began to calm down. The Leader then spoke,

"Officers and recruits of the Black Robe Organization, I have called this meeting to order to tell you all of the next wave of the invasion of Mineral Town. As you all know, we invaded that pathetic town twelve years ago with little success. Upon our slaying of five citizens, they received assistance from a US frigate, the _Reaper_, which was sailing the shores on patrol duty. The frigate intercepted our transports and sank two of them upon identification as our ships. The freebirth cowards aboard that ship killed all but three of our thirteen soldiers of the invasion force. Those three are here today at this meeting. Reive Havenwood, Mitharimir Centauri, and Chiriko Alabaster, step forth," the leader said forcefully.

Out of the crowd of BROs emerged three figures, all of them clad in black robes with hoods, gauntlets on their arms, gun holsters on their sides, and an emblem of a black, silver, and gold falcon on the forehead of their robe hoods. They slowly made their way toward the podium that the leader was speaking on. The other BROs watched the procession attentively and with undivided attention. The three officers arrived at their destination and snapped a firm salute at the Leader.

"At ease, boys. We have more important things to discuss," the Leader said. "As you have heard, we are launching the next wave of our Mineral Town invasion. I have heard that you have some 'unfinished business' there. It is for this reason that I am commissioning you as the leaders of the attack. Concentrate on the town officials first so as to spread confusion throughout the town"

Upon the Leader's finishing of the speech, Reive spoke up "No way, I want to kill the one they call Kai first. He is Hispanic, and I hate Hispanics…" before he could finished he was backhanded by a now furious Leader. The injured Reive staggered, and then fell on a crate at the edge of the hardwood stage.

"Insubordinate bastard! We are not the Ku Klux Klan, and are not bent on obliteration of a single race! Such acts are foolish and rash! You will obey my orders in the future without question, _suatal_? (Suatal is the BRO single word for got it. I made it up. It is stupid, I know.)"

"Affirmative, Saul Dominski," Reive said.

The other two officers then unsheathed their knives, raised them to just below their ears, and then bowed. It was the customary salute of the Black Robe Organization. After the salute the soldiers brandished their knives and left, along with the rest of the crowd. Saul went to his own private quarters in the East Wing of the HQ.

"The people of Mineral Town will soon succumb to the influence of the Black Robe Organization," he said to himself  "And this time there will be no_ Reaper_ to assist them in their time of need." He laughed demonically after saying this and went to draw up plans of the invasion…

**Chapter Eight: A Look at Farming (finally)**

Back in Mineral Town, Jack was contemplating his situation. It was Spring 9th and he still had no crops. He soon resolved to go to the Supermarket ASAP. He also had to hire someone to watch the farm while he was away at boot camp. Jack decided that he would hire a hand from the Farming Tips Monthly magazine. He took a few minutes to look at the magazine and then told himself to hire a girl named Neko Alabaster. Her profile was the description of a strong girl that was not masculine in appearance, yet could pull a great deal of work in a day. And she was available for only $45.

"Well I'll just have to get that hand to watch the farm. Right now I've got a date at the supermarket," he said to himself.

And so Jack went to the supermarket and bought 2 bags of each type of spring seeds. He said hello to Jeff and Sasha and then left the store. Strangely, Karen was nowhere to be found.

Jack went to the Inn and called the FTM Service Network. The marketer on the other line picked up:

"Hello and welcome to the FTM Service network. What can we do for you today?"

"This is Jack Sadara of Mineral Town. I have called to hire a farm hand, specifically Neko Alabaster, to work on my farm from the 12th to Summer 3rd. Can you get her to come to my farm by tomorrow?"

"Yes, Mr. Sadara. We will tell her right away and arrange for a flight from our headquarters in Jackson. Goodbye." Click.

Jack then left the Inn and went to plant his seeds. He sowed eight squares of sod and threw the seeds of Turnips in, filled his can in the pond, then proceeded to water the plants. He repeated the process with the other plant seeds. When he was done, he decided to go to the supermarket to find out what was going on with Karen. He ran as quickly as he could to the market (it was 5:30) and opened the unlocked door. Strange, the supermarket closes at 5:00, it should be locked. He shrugged it off and went inside. What he saw was truly horrible.

"Oh my god!"

Sorry for the cliffhanger guys, but I think it makes it more interesting to end with a sentence of mystery; it makes the reader want to read more of the story! Before my blabbering gets out of hand, I will tell you that I am gonna try to make the chapters with at least 1,000 words in them. I don't like it when I find a story that is less than that, so I wont do it. Also, I **will not**, repeat **_will not_**, take part in the yaoi craze that's going around. I think that is just wrong, being a guy and all. 

I am sorry if my post-script offended any of you readers.


	5. Part Five

So far so good. I have gotten a total of 6 reviews, all good ones. Keep it comin, people! The reviews are what make the writer! The chapter that starts this part is about what Jack finds at Karen's house. R&R at your discretion, though I would really appreciate it if you guys did.

Chapter Nine: What Jack Saw 

"Oh my god!" was all that Jack could say when he saw Karen's home, or what remained of it at least.

The whole place was a mess. It looked like Jack's farm shortly before he had cleaned it up. There were seeds on the scattered about the room, oil puddles across the floor, a broken shipping basket, and flour stains all over the walls. When he went into the family room he saw Jeff's body laying on the ground, hands clasped over a bullet hole in his chest, face locked in an eternal scream. Strangely, his skin was turning a barely visible olive green and his fingers where thinning out, as well as small bumps growing at the wrists. Jack decided to investigate and found a small tentacle attached to his back. He pulled out his combat knife and cut the slimy appendage off to reveal a deep gash with infectious liquid circulating throughout Jeff's body. Disgusted, Jack looked around for anything else that might supply evidence as to what happened at the Supermarket.  

As he was finishing up his search, which yielded no results whatsoever, Jack heard a gut-wrenching scream. He bolted out the door and ran behind the house towards the sound. He saw Mary being attacked by a squid-like creature with about ten tentacles, which looked like the one that was attached to Jeff's back.  He pulled out his Sniper Rifle, took aim, and fired at the creature, causing it to pop. A dazed Mary fell to the ground, and Jack took her to the Doctor.

"Thank you for bringing her in Jack," the doctor said, "though I'm afraid that there is not much that we can do for her. The virus is unidentifiable, so we cannot treat it."

"Well, I'll just leave you to take care of Mary. I've got some stuff that I need to do." Like finding out what the hell was going on.

Jack left the clinic and went to his house to contemplate the situation. When he arrived he immediately went into his unlocked door. He saw Karen in the corner crying. 

"Karen! What are you doing here?" a surprised Jack questioned.

"Jack, I've got some problems," she said through teary eyes, "my dad is dead." After saying this she broke down and started crying uncontrollably. Jack rushed to her side and calmed her down.

"Just tell me exactly what happened." He knew what had happened to Jeff; he was dead. Jack just wanted the details.

"Well dad and I were busy stocking stuff in the cooking section when we heard a loud banging noise. I checked the window and I saw nothing so I went back to helping dad. Then the door broke down and a zombie-like creature stepped in, apparently in costume; I couldn't tell because dad shoved me out the door. And that is all that I saw of my father's demise."

Jack once again calmed Karen down. They ate dinner and Karen stayed the night at Jack's house.

Meanwhile, at the Dark Fortress…

Saul Dominski called the meeting to order with a slam of his oak gavel. The miniature hammer broke off at the base. But Saul didn't care; this meeting was getting way out of hand.

"Order! Order!" He slammed his fist down on the podium this time, "I have called this meeting to order to announce the first wave of our MT invasion. We will begin tomorrow at 4:15 AM. The plan is as follows: a single officer will sneak through the harbor smuggled aboard a cargo ship belonging to the United States. This lone soldier will then wait for a public announcement that Intel suggests will take place tomorrow. The officer will then shoot the Mayor of Mineral Town with a Tactical Arms Sniper Rifle and run before they know what happened.

"We have also heard that Mineral Town is planning on sending its men to boot camp in Miami. We will now bomb the Army Academy located there with our special Shadow Bombs. The loss of the training camp, combined with the loss of their presiding town official, will bring about the ruin of Mineral Town and the success of our Invasion!" Saul was pleased at the loud roar of affirmatives and applauses. He then dismissed everyone and left for his own quarters to think up the plans for the next wave of the Invasion…

Chapter Ten: Well Enough Alone 

Reive Havenwood climbed onto the deck of the ship and went to his quarters. He was thankful that Saul had paid off the ship's captain. If he had really been smuggled it would have been much less comfortable than this. _Oh well._ He thought to himself. _If I succeed in this mission, maybe then I can get the respect I deserve. _He waited for the ship to leave the port and went to sleep…

Jack woke up early the next day, eager for a day of hard work. Plus, that farm hand was due on the farm today. So he got up and made breakfast in the left corner of the house. He made oatmeal for he and Karen. They ate in silence until Jack spoke up:

"So, Karen, what are you gonna do now?"

"I'm not sure. I can't really go back home since no one is there. I could try and stay at the Inn I guess…"

"Well I guess that settles it. I'll try and throw some money into rebuilding the supermarket."

"Thank you Jack," Karen got up and left.

"Well, I guess I should see the mayor once 10:00 rolls around," he told himself.

Guess what, 10:00 rolled around pretty fast. As he was watering his plants he looked at his watch and saw that it was already 9:00. He dropped his watering can and blitzed for the town square.

Aboard the USS Claymore, Reive woke up at just the right time to reach the dock. He stepped out at the captains beckoning, responding to several threats from the aforesaid about ratting on him and such. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood off of his iron-knuckled gauntlets. He then took his position on top of the Inn and pulled out his Sniper Rifle. He pulled a cartridge of four shells out of his belt, unfastened the feed mechanism, pulled out the empty cartridge, and then shoved the new one in before refastening it. He then activated ten times magnification and waited.

Mayor Thomas strode in confidently. He was about to announce the success of the enrollment of Mineral Town's men in the Florida Boot Camp. He took his position behind a podium and began:

"Friends and family of Mineral Town. It is my great pleasure to announce the successful enrollment of the men of Mineral Town into the US army academy!" the Mayor was more than pleased at the cheers that came from the crowd.

"It's now or never I guess" Reive said to himself as he aimed his Sniper Rifle at the target's head. Little did he know that a pair of semi-existent eyes was watching him. The pair of eyes was actually something far more sinister. The being that the eyes belonged to gave out a choking growl and waited much like Reive: poised, ready to spring the trap. 

When Reive's rifle registered the target, he fired the weapon. The 14.5 mm discarding-sabot round penetrated the Mayor's skull and went through his head. The loud sound of the Sniper Rifle was drowned out by the deafening sound of screaming townspeople as the Mayor fell to the ground, never to move again. Now, now's the time, the creature thought. 

"ROUARGHHHH!!" cried the creature as it slashed Reive's skull open with its long tentacles on its wrists. It then shot his exposed brain with its M-6D pistol. Blood erupted from the former Reive's head as the cadaver fell limp and cold to the ground off of the Inn roof.

The Mayor said one last thing before dying:

"Beware…Beware the F…F…Fl" he coughed before finishing, "the ocean will tell all…" and with that Mayor Thomas of Mineral Town was no more.

Rick spoke, "He's dead. Now what do we do?"

In case you haven't noticed, the creature that killed Reive is a _______. HAHAHAHA! Thought that I was going to tell you huh? WRONG! You'll have to read the chapters that follow to find out. I'm gonna try and make them each a piece of the puzzle; not to small, but not too big either. Here's a hint: play Halo and you will find the answer. This will also reveal what is happening to Jeff in his death. Remember, for a free spoiler, play Halo: Combat Evolved starting at the sixth level.


End file.
